1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the use of advertising to pay for telecommunication services. In particular, this invention is related to the use of advertising to pay for an automatic callback feature for busy on-line service connections in the public switched telephone network.
2. Description of the Problem
Telecommunication today on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is marked by the proliferation of numerous services to provide convenience to users. Among these services is automatic callback (ACB), through which a caller to a busy directory number (DN) can have the number monitored. When the DN becomes free, the originator of the call is automatically called back by the PSTN. When the originator picks up the callback, the DN which was called is rung. In this scenario, a PSTN switch between the originator and the telephone associated with the DN offers to keep trying the busy number for an additional cost.
ACB is defined for POTS (plain old telephone system) in Telcordia (formerly BELCORE) standard TR-NWT-000215, Issue 3, June 1993. ISDN (integrated services digital network) ACB (I-ACB) is defined in Telcordia standard TR-NWT-000855, Issue 3, June 1993. Both of these standards are widely distributed and available from many technical libraries, or can be ordered from Telcordia Technologies, Inc. The ACB facility monitors the line state of the telephone line associated with the called DN to determine if the line is busy or idle. When the called party becomes idle, the caller is notified and a call is established between the two agents.
Users of the PSTN to call on-line services or to make Internet connections also encounter busy signals. FIG. 1 illustrates what happens when computer 110 initiates a call through modem 112 and switch 114 to Internet service provider (ISP) 116, connected to the switch in this case through an integrated services digital network (ISDN) primary rate interface (PRI). A call attempt is made at 101 and a busy signal is received at 102. This busy signal can be returned for two different reasons. One possibility is there are no free bearer channels available for completing the call on the ISDN PRI thus making the entire interface as busy. In this case signaling of the busy condition depends on the type of originating agent. For example, if the originating agent was a POTS line, a busy signal is played and detected by the modem, which then sends an appropriate message to an application running in the computer. Another possibility is that the called ISP on the other end of the PRI is busy. In this latter scenario, the remote end sends an appropriate PRI disconnect message, which would again produce a busy signal if the originating agent is a POTS line. In either case, the computer user is left to automatically or manually retry dialing the ISP and wait.
While the previously described ACB works very well for traditional voice connections, it does not work for data connections. Neither the data connection equipment at the service provider end nor personal computer modems are equipped to provide the handshaking needed to ask for or receive connection attempts on a telephone line that is monitored. Additionally, many users of the PSTN for on-line connections would not want to pay the fee associated with the use of the feature. What is needed is a way to provide an automatic call-back feature for busy data connections. Ideally, there should be a mechanism to pay for the feature without placing the burden on the end user.
The present invention meets the above needs by providing a system in which a caller to a busy data service provider or ISP can automatically view advertising or other messages on his or her personal computer while waiting for the busy number to become free. When the called number is no longer busy, a connection to the data service provider is automatically negotiated and the user continues with a normal online session. Advertising offered to the user can be used to pay for the service and generate additional revenue for the telephone company.
The invention is implemented by a combination of special software in a switch which is disposed in the PSTN between the user and the on-line service provider, and software and/or hardware at the user""s workstation or personal computer. At the personal computer, which is equipped with a modem, a call is placed to the on-line service provider directory number (DN) and an indication is received that the number called is busy, for whatever reason. A connection is then negotiated with an advertisements server on the PSTN. The service provider DN is monitored. When the DN is no longer busy, the connection to the advertisements server is automatically dropped and the user is connected to the on-line service provider. In a preferred embodiment, the user is given a choice as to whether to view advertising while waiting for the DN to become free. The user""s customer premises equipment (CPE) then sends an access code to indicate in the affirmative. In one preferred embodiment the access code is sent and the connecting and disconnecting is managed by firmware in a modem specifically designed to implement the invention. In another preferred embodiment an application in a personal computer performs these tasks and controls the modem through the use of standard modem commands.
A switch which implements the invention first receives a call from the originating CPE for a busy number associated with an interface for an on-line service provider. The switch then notifies the CPE of the busy status and determines of the user wishes to view advertising while waiting for the interface to become available. If so, the call is forwarded to an advertisements server while the interface is monitored. When the interface is no longer busy the call is forwarded to the service provider. In the preferred embodiment the determination as to whether the user wishes to view advertising is made by waiting for the access code for the service; however, it is possible that a user could have his or her telephone line provisioned to automatically use the service whenever a busy ISP number is encountered, in which case the determination would be made by checking the provisioning data.
The software which implements many aspects of the present invention can be stored on a media. The media can be magnetic such as diskette, tape or fixed disk, or optical such as a CD-ROM. Additionally, the software can be supplied via the Internet or some type of private data network. A workstation which typically runs the Internet or other on-line service application software includes a plurality of input/output devices a connection for a modem and a system unit which includes both hardware and software necessary to implement the invention. The modem includes a microprocessor with associated memory containing the microcode to operate the modem, a data pump, a host computer interface, a hookswitch, and a data access arrangement (DAA) circuit. A telecommunication switch which implements the invention includes a switching matrix, one or more peripheral modules connected to the switching matrix, one or more input/output devices connected to the switching matrix, and a processor core which controls the operation of the switch and, during operation, contains the computer program code which implements the invention. The CPE, switch, and the ISP interface are all interconnected by a PSTN which includes the advertisements server.